Why Preston has the most hedgehogs in the North West - and what you can do to protect them

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside asked people to takle part in its annual hedgehog survey to record the health of the species.

Why do that?

The creatures have suffered dramatic declines in numbers in recent years, resulting in them being officially classed as vulnerable to extinction in the UK and added to the Red List of Britain’s mammals in 2020.

What did people find?

In total, 1,201 people took part in the survey and 1,850 individual hedgehogs were recorded during 2022, 49 more than in 2021, however, this year, only 383 people reported seeing more than one hedgehog at once, a drop of 72 per cent from last year's results.

>>>Click here for Leyland Hedgehog Rescue’s 7 handy tips on how to help hedgehogs

The top five areas where hedgehogs were spotted in our region were as follows:

Preston - 485

Liverpool - 204

Manchester - 158

Salford - 138

Bolton - 125

Where were they seen?

Much like the findings of our the 2021 survey and following the national trends, the majority of sightings were reported from urban and suburban areas with people's gardens and yards being the most common areas.

Of the hedgehogs recorded, 1770 were reported as being alive, 30 as being dead (causes unspecified), and 50 were reported as being roadkill specifically.

The majority of hedgehogs recorded – 933 – were spotted foraging, drinking, or at feeding stations.

Report author Ellie Sherlock said: “We were delighted to see that so many of you leave a regular source of food and fresh water out for hedgehogs, showing the impact our individual actions can have for local wildlife.”

She added: “Unfortunately, 33 hedgehogs were spotted out during the day or were clearly sick, thankfully in these instances, they were taken to their local hedgehog rescue centre and a few respondents even told us that they help to re-home or rehabilitate struggling hedgehogs which is wonderful to hear. If you do spot a hedgehog out during the day, please contact a hedgehog rescue for help and advice in the first instance.”

Sixty eight hedgehogs were spotted in the road or crossing the road and 17 of these were dead, highlighting the challenges these creatures face when they cannot safely move around an area.